IL Governor’s Race: Republican Bill Brady Expected to Concede Today

When we last checked in on the Illinois Governor’s race, incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn enjoyed a narrow lead (8,000 votes) over Republican challenger Bill Brady. The ensuing recount has only increased Quinn’s lead, and according to the front page of Friday’s Chicago Tribune, the governor appeared confident Thursday as the counting absentee ballots continued:

… [In] a victory lap Thursday, Quinn put out a gubernatorial vibe, talking in generalities about his agenda going forward… Brady has refused to concede defeat, saying again Thursday that there still are uncounted ballots that need to be tallied. A Tribune analysis published Thursday showed most of the remaining ballots are in suburban Cook County and Chicago, where Quinn handily outpaced Brady. Populous counties that lean Republican have few ballots left to be counted…

“I have to do my job right now as governor,” Quinn said. “I have work to do…”

Quinn’s margin stood at around 19,000 votes as Friday began, and according to a new Tribune web report, Brady has come to terms with the imminent outcome:

Republican challenger Bill Brady is expected to concede defeat to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn this afternoon, sources said that Brady has been calling leading Illinois Republicans to inform them of his decision to end the race…

Brady is expected to make the announcement in a press conference called for 1:30 local time in downstate Bloomington. Quinn’s victory will come as welcome news to Illinois Democrats whose candidates for national office fared dismally in the 2010 midterms.